A Bear Named Steve
by Rangerbaldwin
Summary: This is the first Peter Gunn story I have written. Thank you and props to my friend Kathy McManus for introducing me to Peter Gunn (Craig Stevens, Lola Albright, et al). It occurs after the show's finale and includes a daughter for Peter and Edie named Isadora. Peter and Edie married in 1961. Just a fluff story, no big plot.


Timeframe: June 1966 – 5 years after the end of the T.V. show Peter Gunn

Summary: Peter Gunn has married Edie Hart, and they now have a four-year-old daughter, Isadora. Sometimes being a father is difficult, but Peter Gunn can all get by with a little help from friends. This fulfills the word challenge to use: June, purple, eight

A Bear Named Steve

By: Lynda Mayfield

As he drove the 1965 Ford Mustang Convertible home, Peter Gunn alternately checked on his wife, and on their four-year-old daughter, Isadora. The family spent the day picnicking at the park. Without a cloud in the sky, it was the perfect JUNE Saturday to have the car's top down, and it was.

In the seat next to his sat Edie Gunn, the love of his life. Her medium length, blonde hair was held off her face by a hair band, golden locks flowing behind her like flames in the wind as he drove. Since he didn't have to shift gears for much of the drive, she held his hand across the middle of the seat. When necessary, he shifted, and took her hand again. Their little girl was in the generous back seat - plenty of room for Steve the teddy bear. Peter again admired the white blouse Edie had paired with her pastel PURPLE skirt and sheer pantyhose.

Isadora was alternately hugging Steve the teddy bear and holding him up by one arm, to be buffeted by the air. She had started the trip home full of energy after eating cotton candy that was sold at the park. She was also talking a mile a minute. Now, after ten minutes, she was quiet. Peter flicked his eye to the rearview mirror and saw his daughter fast asleep in her seat behind Edie. It had been a good half hour since the cotton candy.

"She's asleep." He said in a quiet voice to his wife, squeezing her hand and letting his fingers play over her engagement ring and wedding band. A thrill of pride went through him as he held his wife's hand.

"It is about nap time," Edie nodded at the clock on the dashboard. "Will you be able to get her inside and in bed when we get home?"

"I think that's a fatherly duty I can handle." Pete took his eyes off the road for a moment and smiled at her, then returned his attention to driving.

"Speaking of that," Edie said, turning to her left to face him, "Do you think you could handle more?"

Pete looked at her again, raising one eyebrow. "Do you mean more responsibilities toward Isadora, or more children?"

"Another baby, Pete. I want Isadora to have a playmate."

Peter thought for a moment, but only a moment, before answering. "Well, sure, I think another baby would be fine. I mean, I can handle anything. And anything I couldn't handle with Isadora, you taught me. I think we're a pretty good team."

"Then that's settled." Edie grinned broadly and leaned back against the seat, admiring the scenery.

"All except for the doing," Peter agreed. He stole a sideways glance at her short-sleeved white blouse, knee length skirt and flat dress shoes. He decided the doing would not take too much. "Of course, what if her playmate is a brother, not a sister?"

"We can always try again," Edie said in a serious voice. "Even if it's a boy, I bet they'd play well together and protect each other. Isadora protecting him because she's older, and him because it's the gentlemanly thing to do. Just like his father."

Peter stopped at the sign, and then turned into their development. As the thought came to him, he said, "You know, my dear, if we have three children, we'll be out manned."

"Or is that, out Gunned?" Edie said with a giggle. Peter smiled at her cleverness and lifted her hand to his lips for a kiss.

Hours later, right before bath time, an emergency arose that would send Peter out, trying to solve a serious mystery. No one could locate Steve The Bear, and a certain little girl could not, would not go to sleep without him. Peter was starting to wonder if his daughter would calm down at all if Steve was not found.

"I'll try to be back with him soon," Peter said to both Edie and Isadora as he kissed his wife's head. She sat on the couch in the living room, trying to cuddle with Isadora, and convince her that if she just got in the bath, then she could stay up until Daddy got home.

Edie nodded, and in a soothing tone told him, "It'll be okay."

Peter looked at Isadora, who lay over her mother's left shoulder, sniffling, her head turned from her parents' view. The blonde head popped up, tears shining in her round blue eyes as she said, "We should call the police. This is a mergency, and he's been bearnapped, and I will never, ever sleep again. Momma, can't you please telephone Uncle Eli to help?"

Peter signaled to Edie that he would field this question, "Sweetheart, listen, I'll go find Steve - he couldn't be far, could he? The police aren't really cut out for missing toy duty, even Eli Jacoby."

"He's not a toy! He's my best friend, and I need him back." Isadora turned away from him, again laying her head on her mother's shoulder, new tears and whimpering exuding from the little girl.

"Perhaps you should just go look, Pete, and I'll take care of things here." Edie suggested, more than politely telling him he wasn't quite soothing their daughter. Peter nodded, made sure he had his keys and wallet and exited the scene for a quiet ride toward the park.

It was well before EIGHT in the evening, the clock hand barely past seven, as Peter drove down the road. The month of June was yet young, which meant he should be able to backtrack to the park for the bear. Isadora probably fell asleep as she played on the ride home, losing her grip on the little bear.

Scanning the road, Peter tried to remember exactly what his daughter's favorite stuffed toy looked like. He had seen the thing thousands of times since she received the gift from Jacoby, er, Uncle Eli, and his wife - on Isadora's first birthday. He surveyed both sides of the road as he remembered the details: curly brown fur, lighter brown face, black eyes of thread that were a bit frayed, round black nose a little chewed on, and a dark brown smile, also sewn on. The paws were all a lighter beige or tan color, he was not certain on it; but he also was not seeing the bear. Steve was about twelve inches long - or was that tall? Smiling, Peter could just imagine making a police report, complete with description, to Jacoby.

When they left the park, Isadora had Steve in hand, so Peter turned around and headed back home. On the way, he decided to stop every five miles and walk a little. Maybe he was just going too fast to see.

Peter's third stop found him nearly home. Now, light was fading; it was past twilight. He began to fret. It was not as if the toy were replaceable. Even if there was a toy shop open on Sundays after seven at night (only diners and night clubs were, though), he would not want to lie to his daughter. He kicked a pebble on his way back to the Mustang, worried about his wife having to deal with an overtired child who might never sleep again. Isadora was pretty stubborn about making good on things like not sleeping or eating.

From the distance, Peter saw a police car coming up behind his, its light on. A very familiar looking police car.

Peter approached the rolled down, driver's side window as the vehicle stopped. "Jacoby? What are you doing out here?"

"Some 'concerned citizens' have been calling about a man stopping his car suspiciously. I had no idea it was you until one of my patrol officers presented me with this." Jacoby stuck his left hand out the window, Steve The Bear in his gentle grasp. He turned off the flashing lights.

Peter took the treasured toy, admitting, "I've been looking for this thing for close to an hour. How did your man find it?"

"Sometimes, you're like a brick, Pete. Look at his feet." Jacoby said in a teasing snipe.

Peter looked, and then grinned sheepishly. Izzy was written in Edie's perfect cursive on the bear's right foot. He loved his wife more than ever, and almost could have kissed Jacoby.

"As for how we found him, my patrolman had someone pulled over for speeding and noticed the bear. You could say a few of the guys in the station know your daughter, so he thought he'd bring it back."

"I guess my little pumpkin was right," Pete said, his daughter's teary blues flashing through his mind.

"What about?"

"She said we should call Uncle Eli and tell him Steve was bearnapped. I'm willing to let the bearnapping bit go, but she has good instincts."

"Could grow up to be like her father with instincts like those," Jacoby said. "Now go home and put her out of her misery."

"Yeah, I better hurry."

"Hey, Pete?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't speed. She probably fell asleep without it," The Lieutenant advised.

"How do you know?"

"I've got kids. Iris and Joe have daily traumas, but somehow, they live," Jacoby said of his three- and six-year-olds.

"Thanks for the advice. I'll bring Izzy by to say thank you some time soon."

"That'll be fine. Take care, Pete."

"You, too." Peter got in his car and started it, watching Jacoby go down the road and then pulling onto the roadway, relief washing over him.

The Gunn home was quiet, and most of the lights were off when Peter walked through the door. Edie had left the foyer light on and the stove light in the kitchen for him to see by. Jacoby had taken good care of Steve, so Peter brushed only a little bit of road dust off the bear.

He found Edie reading a book, in the wingback chair in their bedroom. It had always been near the door, so they could hear Isadora if she woke in the night while they were still up.

"Here he is." Peter said quietly. "Where's Izzy?"

"She took her bath. As a treat, I let her watch the television for an extra half hour but she fell asleep." Edie said, keeping her tone low.

"Amazing."

"Oh? And who had Mr. Bear?"

"One of Jacoby's men found it, so he brought him to me- when he saw me on the road, looking the fool. He said she would fall asleep, anyway."

"Children are very resilient." Edie remarked. "You should be the one to give that to her, since you searched for it."

"You don't want to?" Peter loved checking on his daughter as she slept, but Edie had had to take care of an unruly daughter all night. She might want to see her in a more peaceful state.

"Oh, I've, I've got a thing or two to do right in here, Mr. Gunn." Edie replied seductively.

Peter was quick on the uptake, "I see. Take your time, I think I'll go give this to our daughter, make sure she's fast asleep, and lock up the house for the night."

"I like that plan. Very much." Edie batted her eyes at him and put her bookmark in the book, then set it next to the lamp on the table.

Peter did take his time looking in on Isadora. He placed Steve under her right arm as she slept, gently swept her hair out of her face and kissed her forehead. He tucked her in just so, and then closed her bedroom door. Quietly, he locked the house up, and then made his way back to his bedroom. Tired, but not too tired to enjoy any surprises his wife had in store.

The End


End file.
